Lost In A Storm
by ImaSupernaturalCSI
Summary: On his way back from Upstate New York, Danny is run off the road in the middle of the biggest snowstorm the state has seen. Now he's back in NYC, but he's not out of the storm yet. It's a DL and DannyOC, you'll see what I mean.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of CSI:NY; they belong to Anthony E. Zuiker and CBS.**

**Author's Note: This one doesn't fall into my "series." It was just a plot bunny that wouldn't leave me alone.**

**CHAPTER ONE:**

Danny Messer loved upstate New York.

Sure, there was a certain air to the city that was uniquely its own. And Danny would much rather get a hot dog and a good Irish beer from a street vendor than go hiking through the forest and live off of berries and nuts. He'd also rather deal with a runaway fugitive than bears, but the Adirondacks were beautiful in their own right. Glass and concrete skyscrapers were one thing, but every now and then it was good to get out of the city for a while...but only for a while. Danny Messer was born and bred a New Yorker. It was nice, though, to remember there was more to New York than just the city. He had been upstate for four days, and was more than ready to come home. He missed his job and Lindsay Monroe like hell.

He cranked up the radio and dashboard-drummed along with .38 Special as he made a left and turned out of the small town of Mountain Spring. _How original. Mountain Spring. Real innovative, folks._ He wasn't sure why Mac had suggested _he_ go out to teach this training course to a bunch of hillbilly cops, but they had been a pretty professional group, considering the biggest crime they'd ever encountered was a poaching case where one guy got shot in the leg.

All right, that was him exaggerating.

Actually, in the past few months, two people had died in Mountain Spring under suspicious circumstances. And a year before, someone had died in an apparent highway robbery. It had seriously skewed their reputation as a safe little community. They had no idea how to deal with these serious of crimes, so they had called down for some assistance. And Mac was more than happy to send someone their way to educate them in the ways of basic forensics.

Danny had protested. "Why can't you send Mont-Lindsay?" he demanded. "She'll feel right at home up there."

Mac had simply rolled his eyes. "Because she and Stella are on the McDermott case. Sorry, Danny, you've been elected. Besides, it's basically a three day jaunt in the mountains. Get you out of the smog and noise for a couple of days. What's so bad about that?"

Now, as Danny drove down a county road towards the next town (where he would have to stop to get gas), he realized Mac had been right. He _had_ enjoyed the past couple of days. It was good to get out. No gridlocked traffic, no screaming people, no blaring horns. He'd actually heard a bird the other day. He'd sort of forgotten there were more birds in the state than pigeons. He turned his headlights on. Dusk had just fallen. He set the cruise control and leaned back to enjoy the ride. A light snow started to fall and Danny flicked on the wipers.

A black pickup truck pulled out from a dirt road behind him and kept a close distance. Danny noticed it right away. He'd been a detective long enough to know what a tail looked like. He took a turn off the country road to see if the guy was really tailing him. Sure enough, he turned off as well...and began to pick up speed.

"Aw hell." Danny reached a hand over into the passenger's seat and searched for his cell phone. He knew it was buried under some papers and his kit on the seat somewhere. He fished for it, keeping one eye on the road, one in the rearview mirror, and a firm grip with his left hand on the wheel. Behind him, the pickup sped up and without warning, slammed into Danny's bumper. The jolt shook him pretty good. Danny fought for a grip on the wheel and the road, and his fingers closed around his phone. He hit speed dial two. Snow was falling thicker now, and the wipers were having a hard time keeping up.

The pickup slammed into him again. Danny's rented car swerved on the now-wet road. _Come on, Mac, damn it, pick up!_ "Pick up!" he yelled out loud.

The truck sped up next to him and ran into the driver's side. The force caused Danny to swerve. He dropped his phone as he grabbed the wheel with both hands, trying to keep himself on the road. The pickup rammed him from behind again. The rental car fishtailed right, sending Danny into a spin. The car slid toward the shoulder. The passenger's side wheels slid horizontally off the road and into the ditch. The car rolled. Danny gave up trying to control the vehicle and threw his hands over his eyes. He was pretty sure he screamed, but he didn't know for sure. He heard crunching glass and twisting metal. His head hit the steering wheel...and then blackness took him.

* * *

What felt like a world away, Mac Taylor kept a white-knuckled grip on his office phone. Panic etched his voice as he yelled, "Danny? _Danny_!"

**REVIEWS ARE ALWAYS APPRECIATED! LIKE IT, LOVE IT, HATE IT? PLEASE REVIEW!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: For Spontaneity, who told me it was too soon too make an opinion about whether or not she liked this story. :) Will another chapter help...?**

**

* * *

****CHAPTER TWO**

"Momma!"

"I see it, baby, I see it." Cady Holliday pulled her van over to the side of the road and killed her headlights. She had just witnessed a pickup run a little car off the road. The pickup pulled over in the rain on the shoulder. Someone got out. As he passed around the back of the truck, Cady could just make out the silhouette of something in his hand. _Dear God...that's a gun!_ "Jay, stay right here, okay?" she commanded her seven year old who was strapped in the backseat behind her. She jumped out of her van. She was frozen instantly, and she slipped and skidded in the snow. She watched the figure make their way down to the rental car, now lying right side up with the roof partially caved in. _Oh God. He's going to-_ Cady hit her lights and yelled out, "Hey!"

The figure turned, looked back. He squeezed off a shot. Cady dove behind the door. The shot pinged off the front of the van. Cady heard Jay scream. The shooter abandoned the overturned car, climbed back into his truck and stepped on the gas. The truck's tires squealed as he peeled out and took off down the road, fishtailing in the snow.

She held her breath and closed her eyes, trying to relax. Not an easy thing to do when one has just been shot at. _So he shoots at me, and then runs?_ Then something else occurred to her. _Why the hell am I complaining?_ She got back into her van and drove it forward, even with the car in the ditch. She put her van in park and dialed 911, and cursed when she had no service. She turned around to face her son in the back. He was surprisingly calm.

"Jason, honey. Are you okay?"

"I'm okay, Momma. Was that a gun?"

"Yes, sweetie, I think it was. It didn't hit anyone, though, so we're okay." She still wasn't sure why.

"Momma, is there a person in the car? Are _they_ okay?" Jay asked curiously from the backseat. Jason was a big action movie buff, like his father. It was no wonder to Cady that her little boy was calm as could be, and she was the nervous wreck.

"I don't know, sweetie. Stay here." Cady got out into the rain again and made her way down the slope into the ditch. She slipped and fell a few times. Her jeans were wet from the snow. She pulled on the door of the car and was surprised when it opened. The airbag had gone off. Trapped behind the white balloon was a male figure. His glasses were skewed across his face. Cady felt for a pulse, using stuff she'd learned in health class all those years ago. He had one, nice and strong.

"Momma?"

Cady whirled. "Jay? I told you to stay in the car!"

Jay looked at her unconcerned. "Here, Momma," he said, handing her the Swiss Army knife Cady kept under the front seat for emergencies. "Maybe you need this."

Cady took it from her son. "Thank you, honey. But please, go on back to the car, okay?"

Jay obliged her this time. Cady fumbled and pulled the blade out and slashed the air bag, shoving it out of the way. Blood was dripping from the man's nose and jaw. Cady tried to unbuckle his seatbelt, and when it wouldn't budge, took the knife after it. It took her a while to saw through the belt at his waist and shoulder. The belt gave way, and he slumped forward. Then, carefully, she pulled him out of the car. Snowflakes stuck to the young man's face. She carefully took off his glasses and tucked them into her jacket pocket. Then she began tugging him up the slope, trying to get him to her van. "Jay! Open the side door, honey!" At one point, while backing up the hill, she slipped and landed hard on her tailbone. She almost let go of the man in her arms.

Jay crawled forward into the front seat and pressed the automatic slide door button. He watched his mother slip and slide up the ditch until she had pulled the stranger onto the road. Jay sat down in the passenger's seat up front as his mother adjusted the seats and carefully put the young man on the floor in the back. Then she closed the back slide door and got into the driver's seat. "Jay, honey. Sit down and put your seatbelt on, okay?"

"Mommy, I'm not s'posed to sit up front," Jay said as he buckled the seatbelt.

"I know, Jay," said Cady. "But tonight is a special circumstance." She put the van into drive and began making her way home, again. All the while, she wondered what the hell she was doing. She'd just pulled a complete stranger from a car wreck in the middle of the rain. The stranger had been run off the road. And someone had tried to kill her. And most likely, that man had seen her standing next to her vehicle.

_Heaven help me, what have I gotten myself into?_

* * *

**New York City-Crime Lab**

The snow wasn't just coming down on Cady Holliday. The front had moved in over the city as well. Mac Taylor looked out his window with his hands behind his back. Somewhere, half a state away, something was very wrong with Danny Messer. Mac turned to face Lindsay Monroe, Sheldon Hawkes, Stella Bonasera and Don Flack. "Here's what I know," he said. "About a half hour ago, I got a phone call from Danny. He was upstate on a training seminar. He never said anything. I heard a sound, like the phone being dropped. The call went dead after about a minute or two. After that, I tried calling him back. I never got an answer. The phone went straight to voicemail."

"Do we know where he was?" Lindsay asked immediately.

"On his way back from Mountain Spring," Mac explained. "He could be anywhere between there and here."

A strong guest of wind howled outside, and Lindsay jumped a little. Stella put a comforting arm around her.

Flack looked at Mac. "How soon can we get someone to look for him?"

"The storm must have knocked out phone lines upstate. I can't get ahold of anyone right now."

"Mac, we can't just sit here. If he's lost, or if he was in a wreck..." Flack trailed off.

"We can't do anything until the snow lets up," Mac said. Flack opened his mouth to protest, but Mac held up a hand. "The front is supposed to move out later tomorrow morning." He looked around at the worried faces of his crew. "Until then...we wait."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of CSI:NY, they belong to Anthony E. Zuiker and CBS.**

**Author's Note: After several well wishers hoped Danny was in one piece (and a threat of radioactive rabid rabbits-whew, say THAT 3x fast...) I give you Chapter Three.**

* * *

**CHAPTER THREE**

His head hurt like hell.

It was the first thing he'd noticed. Like a hangover, maybe. He reached up a hand and felt his forehead. It hurt to even touch it. _What the hell happened to me_? he wondered. Cautiously, he opened one eye, then the other. Bright light filled his vision, and he blinked his eyes shut again. _What the hell happened?_

He opted to open one eye again, slowly, letting his vision adjust. The lights hurt his head even more, and he involuntarily cried aloud. "Ow, whoa."

"Momma!" a shrill voice called. "I think he's awake!"

"Can ya keep it down?" he snarled at the voice grouchily. "My head already feels like it got run over by a truck."

"Actually, you're pretty close," a new voice said dryly. "Jay, honey, go on downstairs. Breakfast is ready. And there's too much snow, they canceled school. Enjoy your snow day."

Images flashed through his mind. _Looking over at his pool table at the brunette sleeping there. Writing on the board, "Enjoy your snow day."_

"I'm glad you're awake." The voice he heard now was low in tone and pitch. Female, though.

"Any chance I can get ya to turn off the lights?" he asked.

"Oh, sure!" He heard the flicks of light switches, and then he chanced it to open his eyes. Now the only light in the room came from the window near the bed. He waited for his vision to adjust to the low light. Standing in front of him was a young woman with dark hair. She was wearing jeans and a red hooded sweatshirt. Her hair was down to her shoulders, and she kept brushing one piece out of her blue eyes. "Is that better?" she asked him.

"Uh, yeah." He looked around the room. It was painted yellow with white trim. He tried to raise himself to a sitting position. "Oh, hold on, hold on," she said. She came to stand next to him, put one hand on his shoulder and one on his chest to steady him as he carefully sat up. "You're lucky you just hit your head and didn't break any bones," the woman said.

"How?" he asked her.

"You don't remember?"

"Not really," he admitted. "All I know is that my head hurts like hell."

"You, ah, got in an accident. You got run off the road."

"Run off?" he asked, brow furrowing in confusion. "Like, on purpose?

"I-I think so," she told him. "Someone in a black pickup truck." She sat down on the edge of the bed. "Do you have any idea who would want to hurt you?"

He thought about it. "Um. No. But I don't really remember much of anything right now."

"What?" She turned to him, concerned. "No. Let's start with your name. What's your name?"

He thought about it. _It's my name. That should be easy enough. So. My name. My name is...Oh no._ "I-I don't know," he said. "I-I don't remember my name!"

"Okay, okay, it's okay." She tried to calm him down. "It might just be from when you hit your head. It'll probably come back to you."

"What did I hit my head on?" he asked. _I don't remember my name!_

"The steering wheel, I think. I don't know for sure. I'm going to try to go back to your car today to grab your stuff," she explained. "Look. My name is Cady."

He leaned back and closed his eyes. "My name is...aw hell."

"Would you like some breakfast? I've got cereal downstairs."

"Yeah, I guess. Food would be good."

"Think you can make it down my stairs?" Cady asked him. His response was to attempt to get out of bed, very slowly. He raised himself to a standing position. "Ah. That wasn't so-" His legs buckled, and the room spun.

"Whoa, cowboy," Cady said, gripping his arm.

Words flashed through his mind: _I'm not giving you anything if you don't get going. Make tracks, Cowboy._ He shook his head. _Where are all these memories coming from? They're not helping me, any_. "I'm all right," he told Cady. He passed a mirror in her hallway and got a good look at what he was wearing. The jeans were a little long, the flannel shirt a little tight. "Are these my clothes?" he asked. "Not sure why, but it just doesn't seem like something I'd wear."

Cady flushed. "I, ah, got you a little wet getting you out of the car. Your clothes are in my dryer. You can have them back as soon as they're done."

He looked at her. "You undressed me?"

She looked back at him. "Is that a problem? I could have let you die from hypothermia instead?"

He smiled. He appreciated her sense of humor. "Thanks. For, ah, not letting me freeze to death."

"Not a problem. Lucky for you, you're pretty cute. And I have a soft spot for cute guys," she said warmly. With that, she helped him down the stairs.

* * *

He was in awe by the house. The interior was all warm wood, from the floor to the walls. The furniture was all dark colored, giving the place a small but homey feel. Cady led him into the kitchen. The cupboard and countertops were all wood as well. "This place is beautiful."

"Thank you. The wood was my husband's idea, he wanted a hunting cabin." Cady had him sit down at the table, joining Jason, who was looking at the new arrival curiously, if not slightly miffed by the fact that the stranger nearly ran him out of his own house because he'd woken up.

"Here," Cady said, handing him a pair of glasses. "You were wearing these. They got a little beat up, but I tried to straighten them out for you."

He took them and put them on. "Do you remember how you like your coffee?" Cady asked him.

"I dunno. Let's try it black," he shrugged. She poured him a cup. He sipped it and closed his eyes. "Yeah, I think that might be right." He looked down the table at Jason. "And who are you?"

"Jason," the boy replied. He looked at Cady. "Momma, why is he wearing Daddy's shirt?"

Cady turned visibly red. "Because his own clothes are a mess from when I dragged him through the snow last night," she replied. "Daddy wouldn't mind."

"He's not gonna come through the door and take 'em from me, is he?" he asked.

"Ah...no. My husband's been dead for a year," Cady replied quietly.

_Open mouth, insert foot_. "I'm sorry," he said, meaning it. "I should've figured that out."

"It's all right, you don't even remember who _you_ are, so I wouldn't expect you to play detective with me." Cady came to sit down at the table. "So. Let's try to figure out who you are, huh?"

He took another sip of coffee. "Sure, why not."

"Well, let's see...judging by your accent, I would guess you grew up down in the city," Cady said. "It's very distinct. I think I'll say the Bronx."

_Bronx marble...linoleum_. "You can narrow it down to one spot like that?" he asked her, wondering where the invading tidbit about linoleum had come from.

She shrugged. "My husband was from the city. He grew up in Queens."

"Well, until I see a driver's license, I'll trust ya," he said. "What else can you deduce, detective?"

Cady paused. "Jason, honey. Are you finished with breakfast?"

Her son nodded. "Why don't you go put on your winter stuff? We'll go play in the snow a little before lunch."

He brightened. "Okay!" He scampered across the hardwood. Footsteps thundered up the stairs. Cady turned back to her guest. "He loves the outdoors. Takes after his father."

"You're dodging my question," he said. "There's something you're not telling me. I can see it in your eyes."

"I believe in the fact that everybody is basically a good person," Cady said. "Which is why I brought you into my home. I brought you in despite the fact that...that someone ran you off the road and went to shoot at you to finish the job."

He dropped his cereal spoon. "Someone _shot_ at me?" he said incredulously. "Why?"

"I have no idea." Cady stood up and started pacing the kitchen. "Actually, I'm surprised that I'm taking this as well as I am, considering the guy took a potshot at me, too! And I had my kid in the car!"

"Cady," he began, "I-I'm sorry. I really am." He stood up. "Maybe...maybe if my clothes are done, I should go. I don't want you in any trouble on account of me."

"Hmm, yes, well, you could, if not for the fact that there's about four feet of snow on the ground and they closed the roads," Cady said. She sighed. "At least, I guess, if the roads are closed, and _we_ can't go anywhere, then maybe the crazy psycho guy can't, either." She looked at him. "Guess you're stuck here, Mystery Man."


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR**

Lindsay Monroe paced the bullpen. Danny had been missing for a little over half a day. It was killing her. Mac kept calling to get road reports, but every time he got the same answer- that the roads were closed, and they probably wouldn't be open until sometime later that day. By then, it would be dark outside.

Not that it mattered to her, any. She would rent snowshoes and _walk_ the entire way there if it got her to Danny faster.

"Hey, kiddo," Stella Bonasera said as she came in. "Brought you lunch."

"Thanks," Lindsay said, never taking her eyes off the cityscape. She hugged herself. She felt an arm on her shoulder. "Hey, Lindsay. He'll be just fine. Don't worry."

"I hate being stuck here," Lindsay said. "Out in Montana, we still drive to school with three feet of snow on the ground."

Stella smiled. "Yeah, unfortunately, in New York, three _inches_ of snow shuts us down for good. They'll clear it out soon."

"But if he's stuck in a ditch somewhere...I mean, would Danny even know what to _do_ if he got stuck in snow?"

"Lindsay, Danny's a fighter. For all we know, he'd make an igloo and weather it out," Stella said lightly. "Come on. Let's eat. I know you haven't eaten in a good six hours."

"Thanks, Stel," Lindsay said, "but I think I'm gonna stay right here," she said, turning back to the window to watch the snowplows work thirty-five floors below her.

* * *

He was in awe of the snow. He stood in a borrowed pair of work boots and a jacket, watching Cady and Jason play in the snow. It had warmed up some, probably somewhere in the 20s. He watched them as they made tracks in the snow. An image came back to him- _Casting footprints in the snow, different colors of spray paint. Mac telling him one time, "This is the best forensic tool money can't buy_. Forensics. Suddenly, he looked at the footprints in the snow again. _Mom's probably a size seven or so, and judging by the depth of the print, she's not very heavy. Hundred thirty pounds, maybe. Kiddo over there probably weighs seventy pounds, tops._ He shook his head and smiled to himself. _Where in the hell did that come from_? He directed his attention back to Cady and Jason. Both were covered in snow. Cady grabbed Jason around the waist and tossed him into the snow. He laughed as he threw two handfuls of snow at her in retaliation.

_Do I have a family somewhere?_ he wondered. _Is there anybody out there looking for me?_ _Why would someone run me off the road and try to put a bullet in me?_ He laughed as Cady fell flat on her butt in the snow, and Jason rubbed snow in her hair. _Am I putting them in danger by staying here?_ Cady looked over at him with a smile. He found himself smiling back. He looked around at the mountains miles away from Cady Holliday's backyard. _Sure is beautiful out here._

"Come on!" Jason's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Hey! Come play with us!"

He smiled as he stepped off the porch to join them. Maybe if he got pegged in the head with a snowball, it might jostle his memories.

* * *

The three returned to the house an hour later, frozen solid and completely soaked. Cady let Jason have the shower first, promising hot food when he got out. "This is the second time in less than 24 hours you've been completely soaked on my account," Cady apologized to her houseguest.

"It was worth it," he replied. "I had fun."

Cady disappeared into the laundry room and returned with his clothes. "These are yours from last night," she said. She handed him a pair of jeans, a green T-shirt and a battered leather motorcycle jacket. "If you are from the city, you didn't pay much attention to the weather forecast. That jacket can't be all that warm."

"It does the job," he said without even thinking. "I live in that thing."

"Do you have a bike?" Cady pressed, seeing the signs that he was remembering something.

He thought about it. _Sitting on the Harley Davidson in the middle of the street, a crumpled piece of paper in his hand. Watching for someone to come out of a building. A young man comes out, starts down the sidewalk. He sees a young woman following him. He climbs off the bike, keeps a safe distance behind her._

"A Harley," he said finally. He chuckled. "I'm from the city, I ride a Harley. Why can't I get something useful, like my driver's license."

"If the weather keeps up, I'm going to try to walk down to the road, try to get your things out of the rental car," Cady said. "It's about a mile or so down the road." She opened up the cupboard, pulled out a family-size can of soup. "I've never seen Jason smile like that," she noted as she poured it into the kettle. "He hasn't been that happy since..." She trailed off.

He caught it. "If you don't mind my asking...how did your husband die?"

"It's okay. I don't mind. Jack...he, ah, his truck was found on the side of the road. Someone had shot him in the chest. The police chief said he thought it looked like Jack had pulled off to help someone else, and the someone else robbed him. They took his wallet. Jack had bruises on his knuckles, they thought he'd tried to fight back."

"Any suspects?" he asked.

"Not a one," Cady replied. "Thought maybe the attacker was just passing through town, saw Jack on the road and got lucky."

"Did they cast the tire treads?" he asked her. "Or look at the bullet?"

She looked at him. "We're a little primitive up here," she said shortly. "You talk like you know what you're doing."

He shrugged as he explained his earlier observations about the footprints.

Cady shook her head. "You sure don't look like a forensics guy," she said.

Jason popped his head into the kitchen, his hair wet and wild from his shower. "All done, Momma!" he announced. He looked over at the stranger. "You can go next," he offered.

"Think I will," he replied, standing and taking his clothes with him. He needed to think. He was also sure he had offended Cady somehow. He stepped into the bathroom, which was still steamy from Jason's shower. He closed the door and turned on the water. He stripped down to his borrowed boxers and rubbed a hand over the fogged mirror, clearing it. Staring back at him was a man with a goatee, dirty blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. He wore a pair of dog tags around his neck, and he had a tattoo on his right shoulder. Tattoo..._ He had a tattoo on his back. Tanglewood. The name mean anything to you? My brother Louie was a Tanglewood Boy_.

He hit the mirror with a flat hand. "This is all worthless," he complained to no one. "Who the hell am I?"

**Author's Note**: **Thanks so much for all the reviews, I appreciate each and every one of them. Like it, love it, hate it, puh-lease review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of CSI:NY they belong to CBS and Anthony E. Zuiker.**

**CHAPTER FIVE**

"Mac, I'm going crazy," Lindsay Monroe told her boss. "Look, give me the department truck, it's got four-wheel drive. I'll go help them dig out if I have to, it's not like I've never done it before."

"Lindsay, the crews are working as fast as they can. As soon as I know there's a safe route out of this town and upstate, you and I are going," Mac replied.

"Did you try calling him again?"

Mac shook his head. "Phone went to voicemail."

Lindsay sighed in frustration.

* * *

Don Flack was in the same boat. He was seated down at his desk, the mug of coffee he'd poured now cold, and the paperwork he was supposed to sign off on still sitting in a pile on the edge of his desk. His best friend was missing in one of the worst snowstorms the state had ever seen. And Mac wasn't letting anyone out of the city to go find him.

Of course, technically, Mac Taylor wasn't his boss. He could have snuck Lindsay out of the lab and the two of them could have gone.

Hmmm...actually...He picked up his phone and dialed Lindsay's cell phone. "Hey, Linds. It's Flack. Listen, can you meet me downstairs in the garage in like twenty minutes?...Yeah, yeah, I know, but I'm sayin' screw it...Okay, sounds good. See you in twenty." He hung up, a small smile playing across his face.

* * *

He came out of the shower a half hour later. The shower felt great with his sore muscles, and it helped alleviate the stress he was feeling. A little, anyway. He was dressed in his own clothes, which felt a lot better. It felt right. He felt more comfortable than he had since he'd woken up that morning. He came down into the kitchen. Jason was dressed in a longsleeved T-shirt with a New York Jets jersey over the top of it.

_Football...Don't tell me you know somethin' about football. Why, is that so hard to believe? No, it's just dangerous. I might ask you to marry me. It could happen to you too, you know. Don't even joke about stuff like that, Mac._

He blinked. He shook his head. _That's not a whole lot of help_.

"Cool jacket," Jason told him.

He smiled. "Thanks, man." He looked over at Cady, who instantly turned away. _She was checkin' me out!_ "Your turn," he said graciously, as he reached onto the counter near her, grabbing a bowl.

"I...yeah...thanks," Cady said, trying to brush by him. They bumped into each other, and Cady found herself looking into his blue eyes. _Uh oh. _She laughed shortly, before squeezing by him and practically running for the bathroom.

He grinned. Another vision hit him. _Holding onto Montana's hand. Something about a gun, and a dead guy's hand holding a gun and how you could stick it right back in their hand, a perfect fit. Then, not wanting to let go of her hand..._

"Montana," he said out loud.

Jason looked over at him. "You don't sound like you're from Montana," he told him.

He blinked. "Uh...no, I think it's a name, actually."

Jason wrinkled his nose. "Who would name someone Montana?" he asked him. The stranger took a seat at the table across from him. "It's weird."

If the woman in his vision was this Montana person, she sure wasn't weird. Hell, she was beautiful. _She a girlfriend? My sister? What?_ He took a sip of his lunch.

"So you don't know your name?" Jason asked him.

He shook his head. "No. Keep gettin' bits and pieces of other names, but not mine."

"Can I call you Donatello?" Jason asked him curiously.

He laughed. "I think he's a cartoon character. No."

"Well, I don't want to keep calling you 'you', so..." Jason scrunched his face up in thought. He had to laugh at the look on the boy's face. "Can I call you Mike?" he asked him.

He thought about it. "Sure, why not," he said. "Good as anything else right now."

"Cool," Jason said. He ate for a few minutes, and the two of them sat in silence.

"How old are you, Jason?"

"I'm seven," he answered proudly. "I'm the man of the house."

"And you're doin' a very good job." "Mike" praised him.

Jason looked at the soup bowl in front of him for a minute. Then he looked up at him. "Mike...do you think the man who was shooting at Momma is going to come find us?"

He thought about it. "Honestly, buddy? I don't know."

Jason stood and came around the table to stand next to him. "Come with me," the boy said seriously. He obliged him. He brought him into the living room and pointed in the corner. "That's all of Daddy's guns. Just in case he comes here."

He nodded. _We've got a Winchester .22, a 30.06...hmm, couple of handguns, one looks like a .38.._

"Wow, you know your stuff," Jason told him.

He hadn't realized he was speaking out loud. "Yeah, I know a lot of weird stuff," he said. "I just wish I could remember the _important_ stuff." He ruffled the kid's hair. "Come on, let's go finish lunch, huh?"

Jason looked at him. "Daddy used to do that," he said quietly. "Mess with my hair."

"Sorry," he said, meaning it, yet again. "Sounds like you miss him a lot."

The boy looked at him with serious eyes. "I do, but not like Momma does. She still cries at night sometimes."

"Jason." The voice belonged to Cady, who was standing in the doorway, dressed in a pair of jeans and a white sweater. "Go on back to the kitchen, finish your soup, okay?"

"Okay, Momma," Jason obliged. He scampered back into the kitchen, leaving the two adults in the living room. "Mike" turned to Cady. The look on her face...it gave him chills. "Are you upset that he told me you still cry over your husband? That's understandable. I would too, if I'd lost my wife."

"You don't get it," Cady said, collapsing on the couch. He stood by the gun cabinet. She looked behind her in the kitchen. "Jason, put your bowl in the dishwasher and start it for me, okay?" She turned back to him. "I'm supposed to be the strong one," she said. "During the day, I have to be the one who tells Jason it's gonna be all right. I'm the one who hugs him on his birthday and tells him Daddy's watching him." Fresh tears welled in her eyes. "I'm the one who has to be strong," she repeated. "And nighttime is the only time I have to grieve Jack. Because in the morning, I have to be the mom again." She buried her face in her hands. He crossed the floor and sat down next to her, wrapping his arms around her. She leaned into his shoulder as he rubbed her back and rocked her slowly.

_Lindsay? Danny! He spots her among the smoke and debris. He grabs her by the arms, looking her over, checking for injuries. She looks into his eyes, absolutely terrified. He pulls her close, and she clings to his shirt_.

_Danny. Is that me?_

**Author's Note: Thanks to my reviewers and those that are reading this! Reviews are usually warranted and always appreciated.**

* * *


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: The good news? It's an important chapter for Danny. The bad news?...Most DL shippers are going to hate me. (ducks under bed and covers her eyes)...**

**CHAPTER SIX**

"How long before Mac notices we're gone?" Flack asked Lindsay as they slowly made their way through the piles of snow and city workers digging the City That Never Sleeps out of its snowy prison.

"Not long," Lindsay said. "I turned my phone off."

"Yeah, so did I," Flack replied. Both were silent for a few moments, knowing the repercussions of what was going to happen when Mac realized neither one had their phones on and both had flown the coop.

He looked out the window and whistled. "That's a lot of snow. I haven't seen that much since I was a kid."

"Seriously?" Lindsay asked him. "Wow, this is nothing. In Montana, we dig this out of our front yards every day during the winter."

"Well, there's somethin' to be said for you crazy people that live out there," Flack told her. "I don't think you could pay me enough to leave the city. I'd go crazy with no sounds."

"Silence doesn't compare to screeching cars, loud street vendors, ambulance sirens, cop cars, swearing pedestrians..." Lindsay teased.

"Funny, Lindsay. I get your point. No, I got the city in my heart and in my head, and I ain't goin' nowhere anytime soon."

"I understand completely. This city's startin' to grow on me a little, too," she said. They were on the outskirts of town now, headed north. "Out in Montana, when it snowed like this when I was a kid, we used to dig out caves in the big drifts in the front yard, and then pretend we were polar bears hiding out in the Arctic."

"And you were the big tough mama bear," Flack teased.

"No, I was the obnoxious little bear that kept crawling on the roof of the cave until the drift collapsed." She smiled. "Those were good times."

"Well, last time it snowed this much in New York City," Flack began, "me and Danny went down to this big empty lot at the end of the street, where the snowplows had pushed all the snow from the roads. We climbed to the top of that thing, and we fought off any of the little neighborhood kids that tried to climb it."

"Kings of the Hill," Lindsay said, navigating around a wreck. Someone had slid off the road and into the ditch. _Is that what happened to Danny? Is he up there somewhere buried in a snow drift?_

"Monroe," Flack's voice cut in. He was looking over at her. He knew she'd seen the car in the ditch. "Hey, Dan's fine. If I know him, he probably got found by the local yokles, is sitting in a hospital bed right now, and flirtin' with all the pretty nurses."

He got her to smile, which was what he was hoping for. Lindsay couldn't resist, "And he learned it from the best," she said.

"You know it," Flack replied simply. He squeezed her arm. "He's all right. I think you would know if something bad had happened."

"Well, I hope you're right," she replied. _Because without Danny...I won't like New York as much anymore_...

* * *

It was later that afternoon. Cady left Jason home, and she and her houseguest had walked their way out to the road and down the highway until they came upon his overturned car. He whistled. "Hard to believe I walked away from that," he said.

"Tell me about it. It was scary," Cady said. "I didn't know what I would find." She stepped one foot into the ditch and slid down. He grabbed onto her hand, holding her upright. She looked at him. "Nice catch."

He smiled as he helped her down. The two looked at the car. Then he stepped forward and started rummaging through the vehicle. He pulled out a metal case. "Wow," he said, as he opened it. Inside were plastic bottles of some kind of solutions, chalk, a notebook and pencil, the weirdest flashlight he'd ever seen and some other stuff. "Must be something to this forensics thing," he said. "Here, watch this." He took out on of the bottles and a Q-tip. He rubbed one end of the swab on the steering wheel. Then he sprayed it with the bottle. As Cady watched, the swab turned pink. "Means it's positive for blood," he said, having no idea how he knew this. "Probably mine."

"What else?" Cady asked, fascinated.

He looked inside some more. "Yes!" he cheered triumphantly. He pulled out a wallet and flipped it open. "Danny Messer. New York City, New York."

_Danny! The woman holding onto his shirt._

_Talk to Danny Messer, he knows all about us._

_Danny! As a big metal door slides shut behind him, trapping him in a small cement room with a dead body._

_Yeah, you're cute, Messer, but I'm way outta your league._

_That's no way to treat good pizza, Messer._

_Danny! Danny look out!_

_Yeah, it's Messer. Look, we got problems, man..._

He closed his eyes, taking it in. "Danny. My name is Danny." He looked at Cady. "You have no idea how good it feels to know that."

She laughed. "Nice to meet you, Danny Messer of New York City."

* * *

It started getting dark early. Cady made Danny and Jason pizza, something fast and easy. Because he'd been calling him Mike all day, Jason had a hard time adjusting to Danny. Danny had most of his memory back. There were still some holes, such as the beautiful woman he'd had flashes of all day. It was killing him not to know who she was. The brunette he'd held in his arms in a room full of smoke. The woman who was sleeping on his pool table. _Wife? Sister? Girlfriend, what?_ He didn't know for sure. The cell phone they pulled from the car was worthless, as the batteries were toast. So he had no names other than his own...and the man named Mac. "I'm thinking Mac is my boss," he explained. "Most of the time when I have flashes of him, he's telling me something important. And he doesn't look a thing like me, so we aren't related or anything."

"Sounds like you've mostly got it all figured out, Danny," Cady said. It was after dinner, and she and Danny were sitting on the couch in front of the fire. She'd been using his name more now that they actually knew it. It had started snowing again. Cady finally had telephone service, and the guy on the other end had informed her that the roads were mostly cleared and there probably would be school tomorrow. Cady had offered to drive Danny in to town. Jason was up in his room.

"Yeah, there's still some blank spots, though," he replied. He took a drink of the hot chocolate in his hands. "Wow, that's some good stuff."

Cady smiled. "It was Jack's recipe," she explained. "Add some chocolate syrup to it, extra whipped cream."

"I think I could get used to this. Might have to take that recipe home, wherever that is," he replied.

"Do you know yet if you've got someone waiting at home for you?" Cady asked. He looked at her funny.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, turning red. "I just, I mean, it seems like something you would remember, or want to remember, I guess. I know I don't know if I would ever forget Jack and Jason, amnesia and all."

He watched the fire for a few moments before answering. "I do remember a woman," Danny explained finally. "She, ah, she's a brunette. I think she works with me. She's got big brown eyes, a good sense of humor-" He stopped, remembering. _It's just protein... I shoulda known better than to bet against the country girl_. "I just don't remember her name. And for all I know right now, she's my sister or something."

Cady shook her head. "Not the way you've described her. I can see it in your eyes. You like her. I think she's probably your girlfriend."

"If she is, then I'm the world's worst boyfriend for not remembering her."

There was a break in the conversation. "You know, I don't remember if I ever told you thank you," Danny said. "I mean, for pulling me out, for takin' me in, even when some crazy's tryin' to put a bullet in me..."

"I told you," Cady said. "I am a sucker for cute guys."

"Oh, you think I'm cute, huh?" he teased her. He frowned. "Here, hold still."

"What?" Cady asked. He reached forward and with his thumb, wiped a little bit of whipped cream off her chin. "Oh, geez," Cady said.

Danny smiled. "Gone now," he said. The two were practically nose to nose.

Then, just like that, they were kissing.

Cady was overcome. She hadn't even considered dating again since Jack died. A part of her was thrilled that there was a good-looking city boy kissing her on her couch. _Maybe it's time to move on again_, she thought as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Danny was lost, again. _There's no way you'll make this shot, too, Montana. She lined it up. "A Benjamin says I do," she told him. The cue ball bounced off the bumper and sent the ball into the corner pocket. She looked up at him. "You owe me a hundred dollars."_

_He grinned, leaning on the cue stick. "Yeah, you know what, you'll just have to wait 'til payday," he said._

_She set the stick down and shook her head as she stepped up to him. "No," she said, tugging on the collar of his shirt. "You either pay me now...or you come up with something better."_

Then, the scene from before.

_Running in to the apartment. Smoke everywhere. Stella yelling something about the perp, Mosi Ghedi. But he barely heard her. "Lindsay?" he yelled into the mess. "Lindsay?"_

_"Danny!" He pulls her up, taking her in, looking her over. She's not hurt, at least, not physically. But that look in her eyes... He holds her at arms' length. She looks into his eyes. He pulls her into a hug, and she grabs onto his shirt like she'll never let go._

And then finally...a more recent scene...

_"Montana. Don't freak out, although I'm sure you already have. We're trading shifts, I got you covered. Enjoy your snow day."_

"Oh God..." Danny whispered, breaking off the kiss instantly. "Lindsay..."

Cady's eyes snapped open. _Oh my God, Jack, what did I just do_? She looked at him. Both looked guilty. "I-"

"I'm sorry," Danny said. "That was stupid of me."

"No, no, it's okay," Cady said quietly. "I understand. You were kissing her. Lindsay, is that her name?"

He nodded. "Yeah, it is." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm such an idiot," he said.

"It was my fault, too. I think deep down, I was kissing Jack," Cady replied. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry, too," he said.

The two of them sat on the couch, watching the snow fall. Both of them lost in a storm, and it had nothing to do with the snow outside.

* * *


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of CSI:NY, they belong to Anthony E. Zuiker and CBS.**

**Author's Note: (crawls back out from under bed) Wow, I'm still in one piece. Huh, that wasn't so bad. :) Haha, my LaughOutLoud Award for Reviews goes to Kiwi-Messer this time around. Made me laugh. Loved it.**

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

"Are you awake enough to drive?"

Lindsay nodded. "Yeah. I want to keep going. Go ahead and crash. There was a sign back there, Mountain Spring, ninety miles. But since I don't know when this plow in front of us is gonna pull off, it's gonna be slow going."

Flack settled into the Avalanche's passenger seat. "All right. Wake me up if you need a break."

"I've got coffee, I'll be fine," Lindsay replied. A few moments later, Flack closed his eyes and started to snore. She turned on the radio to a classic rock station-Danny's favorite.

Lindsay looked ahead at the orange snowplow in front of her. They'd been following it for about five miles, and they were the _longest_ five miles...

_Danny. Are you out there somewhere? On the side of the road? Or did you get lucky, like Flack said, and are sitting in some warm hospital room right now watching football?_ Tears filled her eyes and she furiously blinked them away. She looked at her cell phone. She was tempted to turn it on and check for service, but she knew there would be at least fifteen missed calls and voicemails from Mac Taylor. She vaguely wondered if she'd have a job after they found Danny.

If _we find Danny...Stop it, Montana_, she chided herself, and then blinked. _Since when do I start referring to myself as Montana?_ she wondered. Then she smiled. _No, I'm okay with that._

_Hold on, Danny, we're coming._

* * *

Danny was wide awake. He lay in the guest bedroom upstairs with his hands behind his head, staring up at the ceiling. _I'm such an idiot,_ he thought. _What was I thinking? Kissing her? Circumstances, that's all it was. Hell..._ He closed his eyes and shook his head. Deep down, he really didn't feel anything for Cady Holliday. She was a wonderful person. He thought her kid was great. But there _was_ someone waiting for him back in the city, he was sure of that now. And she had a name. Lindsay. Montana. His memory was completely intact now. He remembered he had been on his way home from a training seminar. He remembered the black pickup behind him.

His mind drifted back to the casefiles he had read while in Mountain Spring. _Two highway robberies in the past four months. And then one a year before._ He sat up in bed. Something had just occured to him. _Was Jack Holliday the first vic?_ he wondered to himself.

Then he heard it. Downstairs. The sound of footsteps.

_Cady up for a midnight snack? Jay sleepwalking?_ He wasn't sure, but he felt that it was none of the above. He got up quietly, and in his bare feet and jeans stepped out into the upstairs hallway. He looked in on Jason, who was out cold in his bed, a Power Ranger nightlight glowing beside him. Danny stepped into the room, pulling the covers closer to Jason's chin. He ran a hand through Jay's hair.

Danny closed the boy's door and moved on down the hall to Cady's room. Her door was open a crack. She was asleep, too, one hand gripping the pillow on the empty side of the bed. He felt a pang of sadness for her. _I am such an idiot_. He thought about waking her up, but decided she might be safer upstairs. _Last thing I want to do is put her in any more compromising situations_, he thought grimly.

He closed her door and made his way down the back stairs that led into the kitchen. Someone was _definitely_ in the house. He could hear someone down in the kitchen. Danny thought about his approach. _A. Take the guy by surprise in the kitchen. B. Get the .38 from the living room._ He decided to leave the gun out of it for now. If he could get whoever it was from behind nice and quiet, there was less chance of something very bad happening.

He hopped off the stair to the floor. Whoever it was, they were in the dining room. Danny could go through the kitchen. He quietly stole through Cady's kitchen, listening for the guy in the very next room.

Then the light flipped on. Danny whirled around.

"Danny?" a sleepy Jason Holliday asked.

_Oh no_. "Jason, go back upstairs, go to your mom's room and-oof-" For the second time in two days, Danny would wake up with a killer headache the next morning. He collapsed to the kitchen floor, out cold.

Jason Holliday looked down at Danny's unconscious form on the floor, then to the man who had just hit him from behind. Then, he turned and started up the stairs. "Momma!" he yelled, right before he was grabbed from behind.

"Keep it quiet, kid," a voice hissed in his ear. "Now. Let's go find your momma, huh?"

* * *


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note**: kiwi-messer, you had me in stitches. That was an interesting review. Sorry I didn't get a chance to reply to everybody this time around, I'll do it before I post chapter nine. (meaning: I need reviews to reply to before I post the chapter. Thus, no reviews, no chapter :) Oh, I'm kiddin'. I'd post it anyway.

* * *

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

Lindsay Monroe was half dead. When the plow got off the road, she had stepped on the gas. It had surprised Flack a little, but she navigated the roads excellently. He was impressed by her manner. The weather and bad roads didn't faze her a bit. _Something to be said for the country girl_, he thought. _Now I see what Danny sees in her..._

"Linds," Flack said. "Pull over, country girl. You're asleep at the wheel." He put a hand on her shoulder. "Come on. I'll keep driving. We're about ten minutes from Mountain Spring."

"Yeah, okay. There's an intersection up ahead. I'll pull over there where there's some space," Lindsay agreed. She yawned. "My coffee is gone," she pouted.

"Next stop, I'll buy," Flack promised as she steered the Avalanche off the road. She put the vehicle in park, and Flack climbed out the passenger side. As he came around the front of the truck, he stopped. "Hey. Monroe."

Lindsay met him up front. "What's up?" she asked.

He pointed. "Look up there."

Sitting about three hundred feet down the side road in the ditch was a wrecked little car, with rental plates. "You think?" Lindsay asked him. Then, without waiting for an answer, she took off down the road. "Monroe!" Flack yelled as he took off after her.

Lindsay darted into the ditch, skidding down the snow. She was cold and wet but didn't even notice. "Flack!" she yelled. "Hey! Do me a favor, go back to the truck, grab the spare kit in the back."

He stopped in the middle of the road. "What?"

"My kit!" she yelled back.

Flack nodded. "Yeah, yeah, no problem." He did an immediate about face and darted back to the truck.

Lindsay turned her attention to the car. The air bag was slashed, as was the seatbelt. There was broken glass everywhere in the cab. Flack returned a few moments later with the kit from the company truck. "Here, Lindsay," he said, handing it to her.

Lindsay immediately threw it open and went for the fingerprint powder. "I'll leave you to do what you scientists do best," Flack said as he made his way back up to the road, intent on going to try for cell phone service.

Lindsay printed the steering wheel and the seatbelt buckle. She managed to get some usable prints. _Except I have no way to compare them_, she sighed. _My laptop and scanner are back in the city_. Then she broke into a huge grin. "Hey, Flack!" she yelled.

He looked at her again. "What?"

She smiled shortly. "You wanna run back to the truck for me?"

He looked exasperated. "Again? For what?"

She smiled. "My purse."

"What's in your purse? You doin' your makeup?"

She looked up at him and snapped her fingers. "No. There's a pack of gum in it."

He looked confused. "What do you want it for?"

"I got it from Danny the other day."

Flack nodded. "Ohhh. Fingerprints."

Lindsay smiled. "Just doing what we scientists do best," she replied. "And it's cinnamon, so don't eat any!"

He grinned. "The fingerprints?"

She snapped again and pointed. "The _gum_, you joker," she rolled her eyes.

* * *

Danny awoke with a splitting headache. Again. _Okay. Let me think. My name is still Danny Messer. I'm from New York City. I was in a car wreck. I'm staying here with Cady and Jason Holliday_- "Cady." he remembered. "Jason." He felt the back of his head. There was a knot there the size of the Empire State building there.

Then from the living room, he heard a painful cry. "Danny!" It was Jason's scared little voice. Danny painfully got to his feet. "Jay?" he called. He staggered into the living room...and froze.

Cady and Jason were seated on the couch. Cady was in her pajamas, and she was holding Jason in her lap, her arms wrapped tightly around him. They both turned at the sound of Danny's voice. Cady looked scared, Danny noted. She'd been crying at some point. Her eyes were red rimmed. That scared him pretty good. What scared him worse was the man standing in front of them, holding a hunting rifle. "Thought I hit you harder," he said, looking at Danny. He swiveled the gun and leveled it at Danny's forehead.

* * *

The sun was just starting to come up. Lindsay took the prints from the steering wheel and the print from the pack of gum Danny had bought her yesterday and held them up to her flashlight beam. "Hey. Flack, I got a match, it's Danny's car!"

Flack looked around. "Then where is Danny?"

"I don't know. Let's drive 'til we find a house and then ask around. You have cell phone service yet?"

He shook his head. "Nope."

"Great. We'll have to ask to use the phone, too." Lindsay straightened.

"Here, Linds. Look at this," Flack said. He pointed to the side of the car door. "That look like black paint to you?"

She studied it. "Yeah, it does." She looked up at the road. In her eye, she could see it. _Something black forces Danny's rental car off the road, sending it rolling into the ditch._ "This was no accident. Someone intentionally forced Danny off the road."

"Then we gotta find him," Flack said. "Someone might be back to finish the job. How about we split up?"

"Yeah, that's a good idea. Drop me off at the closest house. You go into town, find a phone, and check the hospitals. Call my cell when you've got something."

They got back into the truck. Flack drove her down the road about a mile until they hit a mailbox. HOLLIDAY. "Here you go. You sure you'll be okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm good." She got out of the truck and started for the house. She heard Flack flip around and drive off down the highway.

Lindsay started down the long driveway. As she got closer she noticed a black pickup truck parked on the side of the little road. And when she got even with it, she noticed it had a nasty dent in the side of it and in the front of it. The license plate had blue paint on it. _The same shade as Danny's rental car. Whoever owns this truck ran Danny off the road._

She looked up ahead to the small, two-floor house. She saw lights on in the living room. _Early risers?_

Then she heard the distinctive sound of a gunshot. A woman screamed.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of CSI:NY, they belong to Anthony E. Zuiker and CBS.**

**Author's Note: (dodging review bullets! Dives behind couch)- Okay, okay, hold up! I get it, cliffhangers bad! (pokes head up. Ducks a lamp. Lamp goes crashing to wall.)-Danny's not dead! I couldn't do that to him! (There's a cease fire...looks up to see plot bunny standing in the corner, holding carton of tomatoes)-This is all your fault, you know-YIPE! (Ducks behind couch again as tomatoes go flying) Here's chapter nine!**

**CHAPTER NINE**

"Take a seat, buddy," the gunman told Danny. He gestured with the barrel of the gun to the chair near the gun cabinet. "That wasn't a request," he added. "_Move!_"

"Okay, okay." Danny carefully sat down in the chair. He looked over at Cady. His look said, _It'll be okay._ His heart was pounding. "You the guy that ran me off the road?" he asked the guy with the gun.

"Shut up!" he said. Danny recognized all the signs. He was sweating a lot, and he looked agitated and his hands were shaking. _Classic signs of meth addiction._ "Nah, never mind. I'm pretty sure you were. I'm lucky I got away with my wallet, though, I mean, you've been swipin' people's cash, my guess is to feed the addiction. See, robbery, though, that's one thing, but you don't stop there, do ya, pal? You shot two people in the past coupla months. What, they put up a fight?"

"I swear to God, I'll put a bullet in you right in front of the kid!" the gunman threatened.

"You'd be lucky if you could actually hit me," Danny replied. "You're shaking so bad-"

"Shut up!" he howled, and pulled the trigger.

Cady screamed.

* * *

Lindsay stepped onto the porch of the house, her gun drawn. She crouched down on the porch and snuck underneath the window. Lindsay poked her head up just above the sill and chanced a look inside. She could see a guy with a hunting rifle standing in the middle of the room. There was a woman and a little boy on the couch. And then she saw something that made her heart leap to her throat.

Danny Messer was seated in a chair opposite the couch.

_Oh my God, he's okay!_ Elation filled her, but she forced herself to concentrate on the situation inside, though her heart beating at 300 beats per minute wasn't helping. Lindsay made her way to the back of the house and pulled on the backyard door. It slid open easily. _Been a long time since I've encountered an unlocked door in New York_, she noted as she stepped inside. She could hear things now. The little boy was crying, and the gunman was yelling at the top of his lungs. She stopped just outside the living room, but peered inside just enough to assess the situation.

To her surprise, nobody had been shot. Danny, the woman, the kid, they all looked fine. And then she saw the hole in the wood just above Danny's head. _Figures_, she thought to herself. _Leave it to Danny to instigate something_. She ducked back into the kitchen and cocked her pistol.

* * *

"Looks like I guessed right," Danny was saying. "You did kill those other two people. Lucky for you, the cops up here ain't like my buddies back in the city. See, we'd have had you on the first try, but they aren't so high tech up here in the hills," he continued. "So you got lucky. But then you picked the wrong guy," he said. "Oh ho, did you screw yourself over, tryin' to take down an NYPD detective."

* * *

_Danny, you're going to get yourself shot, and he won't miss this time_, Lindsay thought as she listened. She went back through the kitchen, down the other hallway to the other living room entry. Now the shooter's back was to her, and she could see the woman and the boy on the couch. She stuck her head out just enough.

* * *

Danny Messer's heart skipped twelve beats when he spotted Lindsay Monroe on the floor in the hall. _How in the hell did she find me? What the hell is she doing here?_ He had to force himself to keep staring at the shooter, so he didn't give away Lindsay's position. _I knew I loved that woman, now just be careful!_ He turned to the shooter again. "So where was I?"

* * *

Lindsay caught the eye of the mother. Her eyes widened, but Lindsay pressed a finger to her lips. She pointed at Jason. The mother looked at her son, then at Lindsay. She whispered something into her son's ear. The boy saw Lindsay on the floor. He looked at his mother, and then quietly slid off her lap.

He got two steps before a floor board creaked.

The shooter whirled around. Lindsay darted out, grabbed the boy and dragged him behind the wall as the shooter fired, narrowly missing the boy. Danny leaped from his chair, crossed the room with a flying tackle and wrested the rifle from the shooter's hand.

"Cady! Go with Jason and Lindsay!" he yelled as he fought with the shooter.

Cady dove off the couch and around the corner. "You must be his Lindsay," she said to the mystery woman in her house.

"Introductions later," Lindsay said as she stood and brought her gun up. "Don't you move!" she yelled at the shooter. Danny slid across the wood floor and grabbed the rifle, aiming between his eyes. "How do _you_ like it?" he asked the shooter.

The shooter finally put his hands in the air.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: Wow, it broke 100 reviews! That's awesome, thank you all so very very much! I hope I can continue to keep your interest, this story has taken a turn I didn't expect, so constructive criticism is always appreciated!**

**CHAPTER TEN**

Cady Holliday's home hadn't been this busy since her and Jack's parents had both come to the house for Christmas two years ago. Her parents never got along with Jack, and mass chaos would usually ensued. There were police cars everywhere in the front yard. The suspect, a man by the name of Alexander Bradbury, was taken into custody on several charges, the least of which was running Danny Messer off the road just a night earlier. Cady wondered if they would link Alexander Bradbury to Jack's death a year ago.

Now, Cady sat giving her statement to the local police, holding Jason on her lap. Jason was talking animatedly with the police officer now-her little action movie buff. Although he was excited now, she was sure the fear would set in later. It already had with her. She had come very, very close to losing it all this morning, and was certain nightmares were in her future. She looked up and glanced over at Danny, who had one hand wrapped around the waist of his partner, Lindsay, and was explaining the morning's events and the night of the accident. She felt a twinge of sadness. _Here was this great guy that dropped into my lap...and he's going to leave. I'm going to lose another great guy_._ That Lindsay is a lucky woman._

Danny happened to look over and chance a glance Cady's direction. The two of them looked at each other for a few moments. And then Cady looked away.

* * *

Danny returned his attention to the police officer in charge. Don Flack had ridden up with the local PD, and was standing next to his best friend. But he'd seen the look that had passed between Cady and Danny. And it piqued his curiosity like crazy. _I wonder what happened between those two_. He did notice Danny pull Lindsay closer to him and run a hand up and down her back reassuringly.

"We'll have to call you back when he goes to trial, so you can testify," the sheriff was telling Danny.

"Sure, no problem. Right now, though, I just wanna head home," he said. "I'm missing my city." He looked down at Lindsay. "And I can't wait to hear what Mac is gonna do to _you_."

"Thanks a lot," Lindsay said, slugging him in the arm. She noticed, though, that the humor almost seemed forced.

Flack saw Cady looking at Danny. _Something happened. I know it did. Danny, what did you do_? "Hey, Linds," he said. A look passed between the two of them. "Maybe we should head out, huh?"

"Yeah, yeah, that sounds good," Lindsay said, looking back at Cady herself. She gave Danny a quick kiss on the cheek. "We'll be in the truck?" she said. He nodded. She squeezed his hand as they headed out the front door.

Danny looked over at Cady again. It was an awkward look. "Well," Danny began. "Guess that's it, then."

"Guess so," Cady responded quietly, arms crossed over her chest. She didn't know what else to say. _Don't go? I was sorta waiting to see what happened between us? Selfish_, she scolded herself. _He's already got a girlfriend, Cady. Who are you to interrupt their lives?_

Just then, Jason came flying into the room and threw his arms around Danny. "Do you have to go, Danny?" he asked tearfully.

Cady's heart lurched.

Danny knelt down so he was eye level with the boy and put his hands on the boy's shoulders. "I have friends waiting for me back home. I have a job I can't give up. As much as I want to stay up here-" he looked up. Another look crossed between the two of them, and Danny looked away. "I just can't. But I tell you what." He fished in his wallet until he found one of his business cards. He handed it to Jason. "You and your mom can call me anytime you want. You can tell me anything you want, how school is going, what the weather's like, what you had for breakfast...And we'll talk, and we'll stay friends." He caught Cady looking at him. The meaning was not lost on her. Danny ruffled the boy's hair. "Is that okay?"

Jason sniffed as he read Danny's card. Then he nodded and hugged Danny again. Danny closed his eyes as he hugged the boy back. Then he stood and turned to Cady. "Thank you. Again. I don't think I can say it enough."

"You don't have to," Cady said. She pulled Jason back to stand against her. "You've done more than enough to show it." She smiled, the beginnings of tears in her eyes. Danny gave her a hug and then followed his partners out the door.

* * *

"Momma, are you sad?" Jason asked his mother after all the commotion had died down later that day. He was coloring in a Transformers coloring book at the kitchen table. Cady was putting dishes in the dishwasher.

Cady stopped for a moment. "Yeah, kiddo. I guess I am."

"Mommy, did you love Danny?"

It was an innocent question on the part of the seven year old. Cady honestly didn't have an answer. Because the answer she had for him couldn't, shouldn't, have happened.

* * *

It was a quiet drive home. Lindsay and Flack could tell something was bothering Danny. But they didn't push. He would tell when he was good and ready. They both had learned that. _Although_, Flack decided, _if I have it my way, I'm gonna get it out of him one way or another._ But he kept quiet all the way back to New York. Truthfully, Danny spent most of the drive home sleeping. Lindsay spent most of the drive with one arm around him and her head on his shoulder. And Flack spent most of the drive staring at the road and feeling extremely awkward. They arrived back in New York City around six that night, and much to Lindsay's dismay, Mac was waiting for them. "Welcome back, Danny," Mac said, clapping him on the back. "It's good to have you back. Take a few days, get settled in again. We'll see you in a couple days."

"Thanks, Mac," Danny said, grateful. He received a hug from Stella and Hawkes, a handshake from Adam, and a long drawn-out story from Sid that really didn't have anything to do with Danny's situation. But Danny laughed and smiled anyway. He knew Sid meant well.

Then Mac turned to Lindsay. "We'll talk tomorrow. Take the rest of tonight off." His eyes left no room for negotiation. And Lindsay was smart enough not to. She felt Flack's eyes on her, and knew he would be in with her tomorrow, trying to take the heat off her.

She and Danny spent the night at his apartment. Lindsay cooked dinner while Danny slept most of the time. They tried watching a Mets preseason game, but Danny slept through most of it. It was clear that something was bothering him, but he refused to talk about it. It made Lindsay a little worried. He finally went to bed, completely this time, around midnight. Lindsay slept on his couch.

When she woke up the next morning, Danny had showered and was already gone.

* * *

Danny walked down the street, the early morning breeze nipping through his leather jacket. He felt bad for leaving Lindsay like that, but he wasn't in the mood to talk to her. Worse than that, he was _scared_. What had happened between him and Cady was a complete accident, but he felt guilty as hell over it. He knew Lindsay could tell something was wrong with him, and would probably wonder if it was something she had done, which it wasn't, but he wasn't sure how to handle the situation.

So for now, he chose to get lost again.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of CSI:NY, they belong to CBS and Anthony E. Zuiker.**

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

Lindsay Monroe was already in somewhat of a sour mood from being ditched by Danny when she arrived for work that morning. And she didn't even get a reprieve.

"Hey, uh, Lindsay," Adam Ross said when she stepped off the elevator. "Uh, Mac wants to see you."

_Great_. "Thanks, Adam," Lindsay said. She tossed her coat into the office she and Danny shared, not even bothering to hang it up, ran her fingers through her hair, smoothed it over, and then walked up to Mac's office and rapped on the door.

He looked up, saw her there, and motioned her in with two fingers. Lindsay took a breath. _He can sense fear_. Danny's words echoed in her ears. "Morning, Mac," she said evenly.

"Have a seat," Mac Taylor told her. Lindsay sat down. Before Mac could get to chewing her out, someone else rapped on the door behind them. Don Flack stepped in and started talking before Mac even had a chance.

"Mac, before you fire her or put her on probation or something, you need to know that goin' after Dan was all my idea. I was the one who called her and got the truck, and hell, I even drove most of the way. We both were worried, and we were concerned, and-"

"Flack." Mac held up a hand. "Before you dig yourself into a hole, just stop."

The tone in Mac's voice scared the hell out of Lindsay. Even Flack looked a little peaked. "I understand it was your idea. It does not excuse the fact that Lindsay ignored a direct order from a superior." He looked at Lindsay. "I applaud you for taking initiative. However, you did disobey a direct order."

"I understand," Lindsay said. "And I'm sorry." There it was. All she could say.

"Lindsay, I'm suspending you a week without pay."

_Well. It could have been worse._ "I understand. Effective today?"

"I'll see you here next week." With that, Mac sat down again behind his desk. "Take the time to think about what you've done, and keep an eye on Danny."

_Mac Taylor, you sly dog_, Flack thought. _All grizzly bear on the outside. Fluffy teddy bear in the middle_. Lindsay got up and Flack put a hand on her shoulder and escorted her out.

"Hey, that's not so bad," he said.

"I could've used the pay, but I'm not complaining, because I still have a job." Lindsay started down the hall, Flack following. "Flack..." Lindsay began as she entered her office. She turned to him. He was leaning in the doorway. "Danny's been pretty distant since he came back."

"I've noticed," Flack said simply.

"So what do you think I should do?" she asked. "Talk to him, or just play supportive girlfriend?"

Flack shrugged. "I couldn't tell you. I'm not you."

"But if you were Danny..." Lindsay pressed.

He smiled. "If I were Danny...I'd tell you when I was good and ready," he shrugged. "It's the way he works. Enjoy your weeklong vacation," Flack said.

"Yeah," Lindsay said. "Thanks. And thanks for backing me up in there," she added sincerely.

Flack nodded. "Yeah, no problem." Then, with a wave, he was gone. Lindsay shrugged on her coat and headed for the elevators. On the way there, she was ambushed by Stella and Hawkes. "Tell me you still have a job," Hawkes said.

She smiled. "Don't worry, I still have a job."

"I was never worried," Stella said. "Mac's all talk," she teased.

"It's just suspension. I didn't figure I'd get off scott free," Lindsay explained. "So I'm gonna go home, go back to sleep."

"Sounds good, kiddo," Stella said. "Might give you a call later, we can go out for drinks or something."

Lindsay pressed the elevator button. "Yeah, that sounds great. I'll talk to you later, then," she said waving as the elevator doors closed.

Halfway back to her apartment, she changed her mind. She had a plan. She had the taxi switch directions and take her to Danny Messer's. She used her key to get into his place, and closed and locked the door again. She looked around the apartment, and smiled. Maybe she could get Danny to open up without Flack's help.

Little did she know Flack was going to beat her to it.

* * *

Danny got a phone call from Flack. "Where are you?"

"Sittin' on a bench in Central Park," Danny replied. "It's kinda cold out here."

"We just had one of the worst snowstorms in history, Danno," Flack was rolling his eyes. "What if I meet you at Ray's for a slice?"

"Sure," Danny said absently. "I'll meet you there in about a half hour." He looked around the park. There was a lot of snow on the ground yet, but nothing like upstate. He watched a couple of teens skipping class throwing snowballs at each other. He smiled, remembering Cady and Jason.

_You're doing it again_, the little voice in his head reminded him. _Yeah, I know_, he told it. _I can't help it_. He got up, his jeans almost soaked through, even though he'd brushed the bench off before sitting. He looked up at the gray sky, and then started trudging for Ray's.

Flack was sitting in the back in the booth he and Danny usually reserved when they frequented the pizza parlor. He waved Danny over. They ordered their usual, and over a beer, Flack finally asked Danny the question that had been killing him.

"What happened between you and that Cady woman?"

Danny's eyes flared. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay, then I'll guess. Did you have sex with her?" Flack searched Danny's face for an involuntary giveaway. "Okay, no. Not sex. But you kissed her."

His eye twitched. _Gotcha_. "How'd that happen?" Flack asked him.

And so Danny recounted the entire story. How he'd woken up and hadn't had a clue who he was, where he was or what he'd been doing. How Cady had tried to help him fill in the pieces. He told Flack about Jack Holliday and Jason, and the snowball fight. "And then, man, I dunno. We were sitting on the couch...and we sorta just kissed. But, Flack, man, it wasn't like I was kissin' Cady. I was seeing Lindsay. That day on the Holly case. The first time I ever saw her in Central Park. On the stand in Bozeman. Hell, the night we had sex on my pool table."

Flack's jaw dropped. "Am I the first to hear about this?" he couldn't resist.

"Bite me," Danny responded. "And I pulled away like the couch was on fire or somethin'." He dropped his head to the table. "God, Flack. I'm not in love with Cady, I swear." He looked up at his friend. "I just respect her, that's all. All she's had to do since Jack died...she's a strong woman. She was there for me, y'know? She looked out for me, she-she helped me get my memories back." He talked to the table. "And I don't know how to explain that to Lindsay."

To his surprise, Flack snorted. "Danny. Just tell her exactly what you just told me."

Danny looked at him, eyebrows raised. "No, I'm serious. Look, I don't blame ya for kissing Cady. It was an accident. Hell, if anything, it was a good thing, I mean, you remembered your girlfriend. Under the circumstances, Lindsay is going to understand." Their pizza came, and Flack took a slice. "You're blowing things out of proportion. You keep up this attitude, and Lindsay's gonna think you slept with her, which probably wouldn't go over at _all_." He set his pizza down. "But now I'm curious. When did the whole sex on the pool table thing go down? How long have you two been together? Spill, man, I want details."

He finally got Danny to smile. "That," Danny said, grabbing a slice, "is none of your business. Thanks for the talk, man, but you ain't gettin' rewarded with sordid tales of my love life." Danny put some money down on the table. "I need to go. I'll talk to you later."

Flack sat alone at the table. _Go talk to her, you idiot, before she dumps you. Because I do _not_ want to have _that_ sob talk with you_. _Not when it'd be over something stupid like this._ He smiled to himself as he settled in to finish the pizza by himself.


	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

He knew instantly there was someone in his apartment. For one thing, there was a pair of shoes outside the door. Only one person he knew left their shoes in the hallway of a New York City apartment building. There was also an amazing smell coming from inside. _That smells like chicken parmesan_, he noted as he took a deep breath. She knew it was his favorite. _Here we go_. He unlocked the door.

She was perched on the pool table. "Hi," she greeted him slowly. She had changed clothes, into the spare shirt and jeans she kept at his place...just in case. He loved that shirt, it was a low-cut blue sleeveless number.

"Hey, Montana," he acknowledged quietly. "Is that chicken parmesan?"

"Stella's recipe," Lindsay replied.

"It smells great." He pulled his shoes off. "So, ah, what happened at work with Mac?"

They were slowly getting a feel for the air around each other. Testing the waters.

"I ah, got suspended without pay for a week."

"I'm glad you still got a job," Danny said. "I'd hate for you to lose it over me."

Lindsay nodded. She looked down at the floor. "Yeah, well..."

Danny was sick of pussyfooting. "I need to explain what happened while I was upstate," he said finally.

"Tell me over dinner," she suggested carefully.

"Sure. Can I shower real fast?"

"It's got about ten minutes left," Lindsay replied. "Go ahead."

"Yeah, okay." He went into his room, grabbed a pair of jeans and another shirt and disappeared into the bathroom. Lindsay heard the water come on a moment later.

* * *

Dinner was a quiet one off the bat. "This stuff is awesome," Danny pronounced at one point.

"Thanks. I had heard once that you liked it," Lindsay explained.

He nodded. "Aiden used to make it a lot."

She nodded, returning her gaze to her food. _Whenever you're ready, Messer_...

He downed half a glass of wine in one shot. _Damn it, Messer, get it over with! _"Okay. I need to apologize, first off, for being such an ass the past couple days. I'm not used to being in a position where I'm sharing my feelings. Usually I just handle stuff on my own. I never thought about it 'til now how much what I do affects everybody else." He looked at her.

"Lindsay, here's what happened up there- When I got ran off the road, I hit my head, okay? And when I woke up, I was in a strange house, and Cady was there. And the same guy that ran me off the road probably killed her husband a year ago. You need to know that. Anyway, I didn't know who I was. I didn't know where I was. I couldn't remember anything. I kept getting bits and pieces while I was there, but nothing concrete. Every now and then, though, I'd get these little bits of you. Cady was helping me remember. She said from the way I described this mystery woman I was seeing, that she had to be a girlfriend. Someone important. But I didn't have a name. I didn't know if you were my girlfriend, just a friend, my wife, my sister...Anyway. We were sitting on her couch, talkin' about you, about her husband...and we, uh-" _Hell. Screw it._ "We kissed."

He looked at her. He couldn't read her expression at _all_. "Now here's the thing," he continued. "When I kissed her, I got all sorts of flashes of you. That time after the Holly case. After the Irish drug bust. That night on my pool table...and I remembered your name. And I remembered you. And I felt guilty as hell for kissing her. It was an accident. It was just everything at once, circumstances...it was an accident. I don't feel anything for Cady, Montana." He put one hand across the table. "I love you."

Lindsay looked at him. She looked at his hand. And then she placed her hand in his. "Why," she began, "couldn't you have told me all this sooner?" she asked him.

He let out the breath he'd been holding. "I was scared you'd think I was in love with Cady," he admitted.

"Are you?"

"No!" He said it vehemently, with no room to argue the point.

She smiled. "Danny, I trust you more than that. I trust you so I know that nothing-or no _one_- could come between us. And I love you too." She stood up, leaving her plate and glass, her food half-finished. "But..." she added as she made her way into the middle of the room.

"What?" Danny demanded. "Come on, Montana, I thought we were good!"

She hopped up on the pool table...and unbuttoned her shirt just a hair. "I don't know if I completely believe you," she finished.

Danny forgot about his food. "Really?" he asked, crossing the room. He leaned over her, one hand on the bumper on either side of her. "And what do I have to do to prove myself to you?"

She smiled. God, he loved that smile.

Lost in a storm-again.

_Well_, he thought, _this one I don't mind riding out._

* * *

**Author's Note: THANK YOU to everybody who has reviewed throughout the course of this fic. I am overwhelmed by the response to this story. I was also surprised how eerily close the situation has come to the canon situation. If DL can work through my story, then hey, 4x16 should be no prob, right? :) I'm thinking a sequel may be in the works. I mean, Cady and Jason should come visit, right?**


End file.
